Just a little blog for posting various creations for the BECMI / Rules Cyclopedia edition of Dungeons and Dragons. All hail the Red Box!
Updated whenever possible with a little something, whether a monster or spell or item or just a little list of whatevers.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monster: Citipati

A strange avian beast, the citipati is long-necked and sports a respectable long, bony tail. Nine feet long and better, it is more heavily muscled than ostriches or even axebeaks; its head is large-eyed and roundly compact, with a deep beak like that of a parrot and two strange, conical teeth in the centre-line of its upper jaw. A citipati's wings are much too short to fly or even flutter, but the limbs bear three long, strong and supple fingers tipped with large curved claws and full feathering used for display. Many citipati develop a tall, narrow crest along the midline of their skulls which is sheathed in horn like their beak. Preferring dry grasslands and near-desert environments, its thick coat of feathers tend towards dappled dusty shades, with the males bearing markings in rust and metallic red along their cheeks and throughout the feathers of their wings.

In combat a citipati lashes out with its large claws and chopping beak, inflicting 1-8 and 1-6 hit points of damage respectively. Given enough maneuvering room it may also charge or trample, inflicting double damage from the claws on its feet and a few stray swipes of its wing-claws. If defending young citipati or a nest of eggs, an adult will have a morale of 10 and fight with a +2 bonus to hit and damage rolls.

It is possible to train citipati. A citipati may carry 1000cn, or 2000cn at half movement; though they cannot efficiently bear most riders, they are effective cart animals -- as efficient as mules in that capacity -- or pack animals.